The Greater East Asia Assembly Paved the Way to Universal Human Equality
Kase Hideaki, Chairman, Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact
The Greater East Asia Assembly was held on November 5, seventy years ago, here at theImperial Japanese Diet, now the Japanese Diet, which stands across the Ozaki Constitutional
Government Memorial Hall, in which we are gathered today. And on this day seventy years ago, theAssembly successfully closed with the stately “Greater East Asia Declaration.”
How many years have passed since humans began to use spoken language?---maybe for morethan ten thousand years, and with human history, racial discrimination always existed. However, theGreater East Asia Assembly, held seventy years ago, was the first summit of colored leaders fromvarious nations. Now, “racial equality” is a matter of fact, but actually the very concept wasconceived and promoted at this Assembly. It opened up a new era in human history and changed theway in which humans behave. Thus, it proved to be a historical and epoch-making conference.
I studied abroad in the United States in the late 1950’s. At that time, black people in America didnot have the right to vote in most of the states. Blacks and whites were segregated in churches,separate compartments were mandated for public transportation such as trains and buses—even
water fountains were segregated. Today, black people freely enter restaurants which used to serve
only white people. But in the fifties, when I was studying in the United States, black people were
never allowed to enter good restaurants in New York.
Japan fought the Greater East Asian War at tremendous expense, and as a result, various Asianpeoples were liberated. A large tide also washed across the African Continent and one independent
nation after another was born in Africa. Then their diplomats assembled at the United Nations
Headquarters in New York and were stationed at many new African embassies in Washington, D.C.
Diplomats were never discriminated against on any grounds. Consequently, black people in America
awoke to realize that it is totally unfair for them to suffer bitter racial discrimination. Entering the1960’s, Reverend Martin Luther King led the Civil Rights Movement. Subsequently, blacks came tobe liberated in the United States for the first time in history.
Here in Japan, during her period of occupation, we were taught that the previous War was fought
between democratic America and militarist Japan and democratically-lead justice won the war. Thisis utterly laughable. For a long time in the U.S., it was illegal for a black person and a white person
to have sexual relations. At long last, in 1967, three U.S. states legalized and permitted sexual
relations between blacks and whites, and marriage between different colored people was no longer acrime. Thus, the complete liberation of the black people was finally realized.
Before the outbreak of the previous War, black American baseball players were not allowed toplay in the Major Leagues. On golf courses, no blacks were permitted, except as caddies. Now, we1have Tiger Woods, one of the best golf players in the world. As for tennis players, the William sisters
are among the greatest. As we all know, the United States now has a black President. These drasticchanges were brought about because Japan fought the previous War under a just cause, and because
the Greater East Asia Assembly was held seventy years ago. I emphasize again that this Conference
was the starting point of a new chapter in human history.
Regrettably, however, in Japan, it has been generally believed that the “Greater East Asia
Assembly was convened by Japan, gathering “puppet governments” Japan had established in various
regions of Asia.” So say the school textbooks in use in Japan.
Today, we have a guest speaker, Mr. Henry Scott Stokes. Mr. Stokes used to be Tokyo Branchchief of The New York Times. Mr. Stokes writes in his books that, in fact, foolish Japanese who assert
such a falsity are the puppets of the Occupation Forces.
Through correctly understanding the Greater East Asia Assembly, the Japanese people will
proudly realize that Japan did not “invade” Asia, but rather “liberated” it. Also, by letting the world
duly appreciate the Greater East Asia Assembly, the hitherto misleading historical view that says
“Japan invaded Asia” will be corrected.
Today, on this memorable day, I am very pleased and honored to celebrate together with you theth70 Anniversary of the Greater East Asia Assembly, a summit held by colored leaders of the world
for the first time in history.
I greatly appreciate your participation. Thank you.
(Address given at the opening of the 70th Anniversary Meeting of the Greater East Asia Assembly
held on the sixth of November, 2013)2